A blue checked tablecloth stretches out across a long table, topped with vibrant accents of rich red tomatoes and chillies, sunny yellow flowers and green vegetable-printed plates.

Right on theme, la sposa – the bride – enters wearing a full skirt made of fabric printed with shiny red apples paired with a flouncy-sleeved black lace top with intricately-beaded details.

La Sposa embroidery

Just three days earlier, this soon-to-be bride woke up and decided the other dress she’d planned to wear – and made for herself – just wouldn’t do … it was “pretty, but simple”.

Fashion designer Cristina Tridente is anything but simple.

So, the founder of label couture+love+madness got to work, gathering fabrics she’d had in her collection for years and started on this new ensemble, full of life and character.

Today is Cristina’s bridal shower on the grounds of historic Carrick Hill and she’s brought together family and friends for an Italian festa.

Catered by Rozelle’s, the meal begins with arancini and cannelloni, followed by pizza and tiramisu. The impressive multi-tiered cake by Small Delights is a lime and coconut mudcake, with the menu paired with wines from Meadows-based Karrawatta Wines.

La Sposa embroidery

Next month, Cristina will walk down the aisle to marry Petar Filipovic in Adelaide, and a week and a half later, they’ll do the same thing again in Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

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The couple met in 2020 and became fast friends, although Cristina was in another relationship at the time.

“We became really good friends – we hung out in the same group – and we became confidantes,” Cristina says.

Natalie Buckingham, Rosanna Clemente, Cristina Tridente, Monique Palumbo, Leanne Cittadini, Stefanie Vizzari and Adriana Rinna

When both Cristina and Petar were single in late 2021, they chatted about the possibility of their friendship turning into something more.

“We didn’t know how our friends would take it, but they were thrilled. Thrilled but surprised.

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“He’s just the best person I’ve ever met in my entire life. He’s kind and patient and he’d do anything for anyone. He takes on a lot of the roles at home and is so supportive of what I do.”

Lino Cardone

At one point, Cristina and Petar were ships passing in the night – Petar would get home from his role at SA Pathology at the Royal Adelaide Hospital as Cristina was leaving for the studio. Late last year, he moved to a nine-to-five role at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, achieving a better sense of life balance for the pair.

Their relationship has come with an amalgamation of cultures – Cristina’s Italian heritage and Petar’s Serbian background.

Signage by The Ivory Scribe

“Our cultures and our values, our morals and our families are very similar so that was such an easy transition,” Cristina says. “His family are the most beautiful people and they were so welcoming from day one.

“You always wish for a really lovely family. You relate it to what you were brought up with and my parents are so giving, kind, generous and supportive so you want to find someone with similar family values. I feel as if I’ve pretty much hit the jackpot there.”

Petar proposed on a trip to Japan – Cristina is a big Disney fan so it had to be Disneyland.

Styling by Style Nest Adelaide, Florals by Summit Stems and Servingware by In the Roundhouse

“We took a photo in front of the castle and he didn’t do anything and we started to walk away and I’m thinking I’d got it all wrong and then he started with, ‘The past two years have been the best two years of my life…’.

“I told him to hold on and I ran back to the guy who had just taken our photo and told him to take more. It was very cute – he got down on one knee and we both had our Mickey Mouse ears on.”

Cristina and Petar

Life has possibly never been busier.

At work and at home, it’s all coming together for Cristina: “I’ve literally never been happier in my life.”

As the traditional wedding season slowed down in June, Cristina began to focus on her own wedding gowns – yes, gowns.

The bridesmaids

She’s not sure exactly how many there will be yet, but there’s a stockpile of fabrics Cristina’s been saving up for most of her life, ready for her big day. Between the two weddings, Cristina estimates she could create as many as six dresses, but she’ll just have a play around and see what eventuates.

“Pete rolls his eyes when I tell him how many dresses I’m going to wear,” Cristina laughs.

“But I’ve got that much fabric and I’ve got time at the moment – why wouldn’t I? I love it.”

Food by Rozelle’s

Cristina does feel the pressure of designing her dresses though. There are the constant remarks from people saying they can’t wait to see what she comes up with.

“I don’t think anyone’s going to expect me in a full white gown with a French roll in my hair, it’s just not me.”

Then, there are the bridesmaids’ dresses, her mother’s and her mother-in-law’s – each person with a second dress she will make for the wedding in Italy.

Arancini balls

But today – on her Hens Day – Cristina’s not thinking about that. Today, is all about the celebration. Hidden in the details of the stunning party setting are homages to Cristina’s heritage and childhood.

Hand-drawn on the menus and table numbers are symbols from the Italian card game, Scopa, which takes Cristina’s memories back to sitting around the dinner table playing with her Nonno, Tony, who passed away when she was 12.

Cristina Tridente and Louisa Scarsella

Tony’s wife, Cristina’s Nonna Maria will be 89 this year and still hand-sews at couture+love+madness.

Guests chatter away in the sunshine with the sounds of a piano accordion player wandering past in the background – a nod to the soundtrack of Cristina’s childhood.

“Every year on my birthday, my Nonno would request songs on the Italian radio and they’d do a shout out to me.”

This article first appeared in the August 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.